Educators Share the Blessings of Mercy Association

“A group of my colleagues were in formation to become Mercy Associates. Every month they’d return from their meetings so full of excitement and new ideas. I didn’t know what Mercy Association was, but I knew something special was going on!”

Susan Smith, Associate Director for Leadership Formation for Mercy Education, shared this memory from her time at Waldron Mercy Academy in the 1990s. She said that “hearing their excitement about the process and how it fulfilled a special place in their heart” led her to become a Mercy Associate in 1999.

Stories like Susan’s continue to unfold today in our Mercy schools around the globe, as the charism enlivens the hearts of lay faculty and staff seeking deeper engagement with the Sisters of Mercy, their spiritual life and their pledge of service to others and to our Earth.

“I share with my students that association allows me to commit myself to the Sisters of Mercy, while also living out my call to be a mother, wife and educator. Mercy isn’t just something I do. It’s something I am. Everything I am and do is through the lens of Mercy,” said Erin DaCosta, Religion Department Chair and Director of Campus Ministry at Academy of Our Lady of Mercy, Lauralton Hall (Milford, Connecticut), who became a Mercy Associate in 2019.

Marcia Thwaites, a Mercy Associate for 32 years, serves as chair of the board for Jessie Ripoll Primary School (Kingston, Jamaica). “Mercy spirituality is the well from which I draw,” she said. Marcia shared how she applies a “prism of Mercy” to her board work and relies on her community of associates for prayer, discussion, encouragement and “backative,” a Jamaican expression for support.

Paul Clementi, Dean of Students at Merion Mercy Academy and an associate for six years, agrees. “In all sincerity, the times we are in are the most difficult for teachers in my 20 years as an educator,” he said. “Being an associate grounds me and makes me realize that even on the toughest days I am not alone.”

“In terms of my own personal prayer life, my relationship with God, so much of that is through Mercy,” said Alison Kline-Kator, Registrar and Director of Mission Integration at Mercy High School (Farmington Hills, Michigan), who became an associate in 2020.

Kimberly Baxter, Associate Director of Programs and Services for Mercy Education, said that Mercy Association “deepened my connection to the Sisters of Mercy community.” Kim became an associate in 2005 while teaching at Merion Mercy Academy (Merion Station, Pennsylvania). “As associates, we commit to prayer life and service, and the sisters commit to us. They value us in carrying out the mission of Mercy.”

Paul concurs: “I am very much aware that as an associate I ‘stand on the shoulders’ of the Sisters of Mercy who founded and taught at Merion Mercy Academy,” he said. “… Being an associate connects me to them.”  He feels linked to both the past and future as he helps to “oversee the maturation of our students from being ‘Merion girls’ to being women who live Mercy and seek justice.”

To their school communities, Mercy Associates offer a wealth of knowledge and resources about the Sisters of Mercy and their work. “I try to focus on the Critical Concerns by incorporating them as a complement to the existing school curriculum, and I implement Catherine McAuley’s teachings in my classes. As a teacher and associate, I feel it is my responsibility to instill these values in the new generations of students and teachers … [ensuring that] the Mercy charism will continue to flourish,” shared Ingrid Valeriano, who was one of first faculty members at Instituto María Regina (La Ceiba, Honduras) to become a Mercy Associate. “I assure you that this love for the charism of Mercy will be transmitted to the students and to the institution where you work.”

Marcia said, “It is a joy and privilege to see the young ones flourish and grow. If they can be guided and influenced by Mercy principles, we are ahead of the game in creating a gentler, more caring society.”

Associates can be a bridge to Mercy in schools where sisters are not present on a regular basis. Alison explained, “We become examples of what it means to walk with Mercy, and we can use our relationships with local sisters and other local associates to build connections.”

If you are already a Mercy Associate, you can encourage others in your school community to become familiar with Mercy Association and to consider making this commitment.

Invite a colleague.

Talk to students about Mercy Association as a way to embrace more fully the Mercy charism, and the importance of the laity in taking a key role in carrying the mission forward.

Wear your Mercy Associate pin as a sign and symbol to your colleagues and students.

Ensure that Mercy Associates are recognized on Mercy Day and other school events, providing an opportunity for students and colleagues to learn who the associates are within their school community.

Most importantly, live Mercy! As Erin said, “I try to preach Mercy at all times, through my daily interactions with students and staff. The quiet working of the Holy spirit has been powerful.”

Learn more about Mercy Association online or by contacting Wendy Burgess, Association Coordinator, at [email protected].